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Sunday, 13 March 2011

The highlight of my career

The Highlight of My Career

Not much happens on a Thursday night in the world of football; especially if Liverpool are playing in the Europa League. So when I posed a question on Twitter asking people for the highlight of their own playing careers on that night last week - using the inspired hashtag of #HighlightOfMyCareer - responses came in thick and fast from Selwyn College Thirds to Wembley Stadium.

I'm not quite at Phil Jupitus levels on Twitter, whereby I can command folk to turn up and divvy out pasties at the next train station I'm pulling into, but in terms of thrashing around a bit of jocose football banter - EFW is probably in the top 10000 feeds to follow. Just ahead of @RobbieSavage8. Arf.

I was told that publishing lists on blogs isn't really the done thing. Bah! This one made me laugh, and that's my normal editorial line, so in she jolly well goes. These were the highlights of your footballing careers. Feel free to add yours into the comments section at the bottom, and don't just think I want to hear about players getting knocked over by a stray pig during a game. I mean, as if that would ever happen...

Tanger_Dreaming I was once knocked to the deck by an actual stray pig whilst playing in a match. Made the local paper.

DanRossCalcio Marking a huge 25+ year old ringer out of the game in the last match of an unbeaten school first XI tour in Milan.

equaliserblog A beautifully timed goal-saving tackle with the 'keeper nowhere in a tight 2-1 victory over our biggest school rivals.

jamsiep Scoring last minute winner to make it 4-3 after being 3-0 down at HT.

targetmanblog Scoring a swerving 25 yard screamer after bringing myself on for a cameo half in an 8-0 win that won us the league

rcammisola Hmm, #highlightofmycareer upending a striker through on goal when I was the last man and not being sent off because the referee was a priest.

James_Dart My bad self, about to shame Wembley (see photo at the top).

HungariaFootbal Has to be scoring a last minute winning goal in the quarter final of the cup. Shame we lost the semi 14-0. Actually the #highlightofmycareer is probably making "the best save @marcusspeller has ever seen".

AndyBCFC Scoring a last gasp equaliser to make it 5-5, for my school team. It was my only ever goal.

polishscout Once I've dribbled past a player (and scored) who played in Champions League for Widzew Lodz. He was 45-years old.

GavRiordan Scoring a brace, one of which was literally sick against the Football Ramble to win 4-3.

DolphinHotel I Nutmegged an overweight defender in front of Sir Bobby Charlton.

Geoff_y_Edwards I played at Union Berlin's ground in early '91 against their youth team, with fans in for their first team game right after

snap_kaka_pop I played against Manchester United for a Plymouth Argyle youth team! Only lost 3/4-0!

Nerdyyy A hat-trick while playing for Durham City U-16 at Roker Park. The second after rounding keeper. The third a cheeky lob.

Hartch Nutmegging Brian 'Killer' Kilcline (next challenge he put me approx 6 feet in the air) I think I may have the stud marks from his subsequent challenge still somewhere about my knee

mattleross I played with post retirement Kriss Akabusi who walked over and said "Hi, I'm Kriss". T'was basketball though.

Ryan_Hubbard Scoring a hat-trick in a friendly game against Syston Town, two of which were directly from corners. And interestingly, I wasn't the only player in that game to score a corner. We won 4-3, and their third was direct from a corner!

chrismayerV1 A scintillating lob over the keeper that was won us Y8 Interform tournament, was the villain following year.

JohnSinnott I played Goodison with Beardsley, A Kennedy, Lawrenson and Peter Johnson - Scored a goal at the Gwladys Street end. The video is in the loft. It was a great day. At half time the pros were happy to stay on pitch, hacks couldn't wait to get back in dressing-room for full experience. Superb pitch.

LucianoSays Scored a goal described (by someone else) thusly: "Everything about that was Dimitar Berbatov". I also tipped a header over the bar from a yard out. Reinvented/overused the backheel.

adz_365 I scored for my local side in huge derby cup game which we won 1-0. A corner hit my knee and went in.

Jake_Harrison92 #highlightofmycareer is scoring a lob from 30 yards for Young Dons U-13s. I then scored a volley from 20 yards. My mate was in goal for the opposition. The volley cracked the underside of the bar. Remember Scholes vs. Villa? Yeah that's pretty much it. (Maybe).

jack_j_allen I won 'most improved player of the year' (aka, well done for trying) twice!

TimHi Won the '[Tim] Flowers Cup' trophy for being an unused substitute against St Nicholas school. Textbook Pegguy Arphexad. And I once played against a group of ex-convicts. Managed to come through the match unscathed.

cheekybackheel Small thing but I assisted a goal with a free kick from my own half in high school!

ystbah Scoring in training at the Shed end at Llanelian Road. Or an epic Beckham esque free kick in the park

kevinhunterday Scoring a penalty at Selhurst in a charity thing - even though the fans seemed to be distracted by the whereabouts of some pies.

twounfortunates I played in a 2-2 draw for now Hellenic League Holyport at Maidenhead Utd youth in a 1985 friendly.

twoht It's difficult to pick between one non-playing - and was never going to be allowed to play - subs appearance in the FA Cup or one appearance in the reserves for a Diadora League - as it was at the time.

GrahamYapp I can now reveal that the screaming top-corner half-volley for Selwyn College Thirds in 1977-8 was supposed to be a cross.

thecoldend I was sub for the Bush Hill Park side that won the George Gyer cup in 2000. Edmonton & District Sunday league glory days.

segalmark A few years before he became Britain's first million pound teenager I had Bruce Dyer in my pocket in a borough cup semi-final. I hit the bar in that game as well, remember these things when career goal tally is six.

DolphinHotel I played in goal for England vs Algeria in front of a crowd of 106 in the Odessa 2010 World Cup. Lost 7-1. None of the goals were my fault.

BeatTheFirstMan I have played only one competitive game. St Peter's Primary 3rd XI, left back, 1984. Yes, I am that bad/unfit.

DoronSalomon Scoring the first goal in a scoreline that ended 27-1 - sadly I was on the losing team... Only seven of our team turned up!

theballisround I've no idea what you asked but mine is scoring at the old Wembley or going to the Playboy Mansion last month.

adrian1897 I scored a "goal" during a post-match pitch invasion in the old Lansdowne Road in Dublin.

Dunmowkid My dad was machine gunned by a Messerschmidt during a school match in World War II playing in Hayes beat that...

Zonal_Marking Played the best pass I've ever played (a through ball assist) at the world famous Beveree Stadium. Oh yeah! I should add that I'm playing tonight at 8:30, so we could be minutes away from a NEW greatest moment.

The72football Winning a junior cup final at Northampton Spencer's ground. Scored a lot of goals en route but only contribution on the day was an overhead kick into the face of the opposition's best player on the edge of their box, resulting in a mass brawl. I was 13.

Was there ever a greater thrill as a youngster than accidentally breaking a window with a football? And if you're after the highlight of my own career; then coming out of retirement to score this goal on Portuguese soil probably shades the time I had to sit on the Brighton and Hove Albion team bus en route to Plough Lane, Wimbledon to play in a Youth Team match - in my school uniform. We were under instructions to wear a suit and I didn't have one. How they all laughed.

Over to you then folks. This is your chance to wax lyrical about the highlight of your career. Don't hold back, don't be shy. Descriptions, photos, YouTube links, whatever, let's hear about it....

The scene was a 7's team in disarray. The manager had dropped regular players in favour of "superstars" from a slightly higher level. So moral in the social spine of the team was low.

Some of the old crew quit (and I eventually did) but not before one special match.

Being extraordinarily unfit, after continually falling out with the manager I had to settle for rare sub appearances. Maybe he was right given my fitness. But I was finally given a start (we were short - 1 sub only)

The first goal was something maybe Ljungberg would be proud of - bursting into the box from the left and slotting into the far corner.

The second a sheer wondergoal - dribbling past 4 players before dummying and going round the keeper.

The final was merely a tap-in, but it didn't matter. I bagged the hat-trick to make it 3-0. Exhausted, I'd proven my point and signalled to the bench that I couldn't continue. And I left the park to a standing ovation from the astonished 3 people and a dog who were watching.

Has to be playing Carlisle United at Brunton Park for a Northern Alliance Prem side; Michael Bridges was simply supreme as they crushed us 7-2, and I'm not ashamed to say he megged me beautifully before chipping the keeper for one of those goals! :)

I did get a mini revenge later in the game by megging Karl Hawley though, so I didn't leave the ground feeling completely useless ...

Not really one to cover myself in glory but, it happened in secondary school for me during PE on the school's football pitch.

The ball hit my spectacles (I am short-sighted) and a part of it was dented. The damage the ball has done to my spectacles was not serious but, safe to say it has got me be careful of playing football ever since. Sort of like my own Petr Cech moment, but definitely less serious.

Still not sure who was it who kicked the ball to the extent it managed to hit my spectacles. Not that I am 'pursuing' the culprit, mind.

My bessy mate at the time was a mini George Best, boy could he play. It was a a school under 10's match and I was full back on the opposing side. Before the game I saw a poster on the classroom wall on how to do a perfect sliding tackle. "Right" I thought to myself, "I'll do that".So in the match as expected here comes my mate charging down the pitch with the ball with only me (and the goalie) to beat. I stood my ground watching and waiting to execute the move when he looked up, stopped for half a sec and then gave me the ball."Here'ya mate." he said and then turned and trotted back up the pitch.I then hoofed the ball back into the opposition half and never got a touch for the rest of the game.

Two highlights for me. In what can only be described as a massive coincidence both happened to be captured on film and are available to relive on youtube:

1. Volley whilst playing for Oxford United fans team at a tournament organized by Leyton Orient fans and against Queens Park fans. The fact that the Scottish opposition had been drinking all day and the keeper wasn't wearing any gloves is, of course, irrelevant. Peter Schmeichel wouldn't have kept this one out.

2. Also, for the Oxford fans team when we got to play on the Kidderminster Harriers first team pitch at Aggborough and use all the facilities. A great day, we won the game 4-3 and I opened the scoring with a penalty.

First ever match in an organised league. Aged 8. We go 1-0 down. Ball falls to me on the edge of the box. I beat a man, and hit an unspectacular shot with my (weak) right foot which somehow finds its way past the opposition goalkeeper.

We won the game 11-1. Over the next 8-9 years I won leagues, cups, and played in tournaments in France and Holland, but nothing ever beat the joy of that first goal.

played maybe 15 years for old elysians in the afa, no highlights, no ups just losing.my names gary and the only thing i can say was it was kinda fun. scored a goal once from a free kick on the half way line gainst ealing association.